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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26466466">Penguins in Love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArielAquarial/pseuds/ArielAquarial'>ArielAquarial</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Penguins, Pining Dean Winchester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:29:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,618</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26466466</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArielAquarial/pseuds/ArielAquarial</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Stuck working in the garage’s back office after an injury, Dean quickly becomes addicted to the local zoo’s live feeds. It doesn’t take him long to discover Castiel, the zoologist in charge of the penguin exhibit. Everyone in the chat loves him. Not only is he extremely attractive, but he treats the penguins like his children. When they’re naughty, he scolds them. When they’re fighting over who gets fed first, he sorts it out. He’s even been caught humming to himself when he’s taking water samples. It’s cute and charming, and Dean might be falling in love with him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Castiel/Dean Winchester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>212</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Penguins in Love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>No one could ever call Dean Winchester a slacker. From the day he turned fourteen and started helping Bobby around the shop to the day he was promoted to shop manager, he worked his ass off. Sure, his dad would say he never tried in school, and his high school track coach would say he was a lazy son of a bitch, but when it came to things he was passionate about? He went above and beyond. When others were content to stay simple mechanics, he worked his way to shop manager. When Bobby started thinking about retirement and who would take over the shop, Dean would have been his first choice even if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>weren’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> family.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>That all changed when he broke his arm. One mistake, one moment of inattention in his backyard where he wandered over a grass-covered ditch, and suddenly, he was on the ground cradling his arm to his chest and crying out in pain. The next day when he walked into Bobby’s shop, the man took one look at his cast and banished him to the office to sort out months of paperwork.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He tried to sneak his way onto the shop to offer help to the other mechanics, but the moment he stepped through the door to the garage, Bobby was on his ass and shooing him back into the office muttering terms like ‘workplace safety’ and ‘idjit.’</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It only took him three hours to wish for the release of death. By some miracle, Bobby took pity on him and let him sit at his desk and fill out order forms and calculate payroll. Unfortunately for Bobby, Dean’s handwriting was barely legible on a good day, and having to write with his left hand made his signatures and notes look like something Sammy brought home from kindergarten. By the end of week one, Dean was sure Bobby was ready to strangle him.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>After that, his uncle stopped giving a shit what Dean was doing behind the scenes, as long as he stayed out of the way and stopped poking his head into the garage.  He ended up spending most of the day being paid to fuck around on his phone. When even </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> felt like a chore, he started bringing his laptop.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>That was the day Dean discovered the world of live cameras on YouTube. There were livestreams of everything from random town squares to newborn kittens and baby chickens. To his surprise, even his local zoo had a livestream with a decent following. They had cameras for the one-hundred-year-old tortoise and his girlfriend, for gorillas, hippos, and a few of their small creepy-crawlies.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>In terms of marketing, it was doing its job. In the thirty-five years he’s lived in Lawrence, he’s never been to the zoo. Sure, he’s had chances—especially since he had a nine-year-old niece who was strangely obsessed with meerkats, but he’s never taken her or tagged along with Sam and his wife when they made the trip. Now, he couldn’t wait to take his niece to the zoo and show off all of his new knowledge.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He learned more about animals from the comment sections than he ever learned in high school. He didn’t know how long the stream had been going on, but it was long enough that people found out the animal's names and stats like weight, natural diet, color variations, social hierarchy, and other things he would have never known. Some commenters even gave the animals secret lives. There was Bubba, the large elephant who, according to the chat, was in a secret love affair with Sally, a smaller elephant with a torn ear. There was a red snapper that could be found in their saltwater exhibit who prompted the chat to spam ‘RED’ every time it swam into the frame. He found himself ignoring his scant responsibilities in favor of watching the chat, even typing in a ‘RED!’ when he saw the snapper appear.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>In less than a week, he was addicted. From the chat, he learned the feeding times, when certain exhibits would get cleaned and maintained, and even some of the worker's names. To his surprise, the zoo cam genre on YouTube was extremely popular. More than half the people in the chats were from other parts of the US, and some were even from other countries. He was even friends with a few of them on social media, eventually trading phone numbers. There was Charlie from San Francisco, Garth from Wisconsin, Benny from Louisiana, and some more that he only knew by their usernames.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>One day, during the livefeed for the tortoise enclosure, he was texting with Charlie about the possibility of road tripping to San Francisco for a Moondoor convention, when suddenly she stopped replying. With any other person, he wouldn’t think anything of it, but Charlie practically lived on her phone. If she didn’t reply within five minutes, chances were she was dead. He waited for her to reappear for ten minutes before she sent him a text and explained that she went to the penguin cam and sent him a link. He clicked, curious about why the penguin feed pulled her away from the tortoises during their mating season, especially since they had all been waiting for Sally and Tito to finally do the do.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The video loaded, displaying the enclosure. It was a large room, with high walls painted a sky blue and dotted with snow. Fabricated rocks were stacked along the wall, allowing the penguins to climb. Crystal clear water lapped gently against the walkways and shelves, loud enough that Dean could hear it through the speakers. A group of penguins huddled together on a large shelf, while others swam in the water or waddled around on their own.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Yeah, they were cute, but nothing to risk missing the tortoises mating for. Most of them were just </span>
  <em>
    <span>standing</span>
  </em>
  <span> there, after all. To his surprise, the chat was already going crazy, each comment flying by before he could even read them. He scrolled up through the messages, and most were counting down the minutes until </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span> was supposed to happen. He sat back at Bobby’s desk, his curiosity piqued. What was it about the penguin camera that had people so excited? Penguins were cute, but so were half the other animals they watched. Dean would argue some were even </span>
  <em>
    <span>cuter</span>
  </em>
  <span>!</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He waited, arms crossed over his chest, and watched the penguins do </span>
  <em>
    <span>absolutely nothing.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Dean tapped his short nails rhythmically on the desk in annoyance. If nothing happened in the next minute, he’d jump back to the tortoise enclosure and send a peeved text to Charlie. He counted, getting up to forty-three before a clipboard appeared onscreen, followed by a man in a baseball cap.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Zoologists weren’t an uncommon occurrence in the livestreams. Often, they came in to toss in the food, clean the enclosure, and even interact with the animals. He was used to seeing their loose-fitting black pants, sensible boots, and olive-green button-up shirts or polos depending on the weather. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> used to the thick thighs and round ass that were filling out the normally unflattering pants, the tucked-in shirt showing off a trim waist, and muscular arms pulling the sleeves tight. He leaned forward and squinted at the screen, hoping to get a better look at the man and cursing the camera angle, but unless the guy walked closer...</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The man continued moving away from the camera, towards a large stretch of platform with three different sized buckets in hand. The penguins went absolutely crazy at the sight of him. The larger ones trailed behind him, staying as close to the food source as possible as he walked towards the feeding spot. The smaller species waited to the side for their turn, watching him with unwavering focus. They were all honking loudly and jostling each other for a spot, their little feet working overtime as they waddled around with their arms out for balance. They congregated around him, clacking and trilling for attention, and Dean couldn’t help but smile. Just the sight of them begging for food was worth switching to the penguins (the handsome zoologist wasn’t too bad either).</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>To his surprise, the man pulled out a cowbell and rung it loudly, summoning the stragglers. By the end of the dinner bell, there were probably around fifteen penguins clamoring for food with even more waiting on the sidelines. He sat cross-legged amidst the chaos and put his clipboard on his lap, examining it carefully before pulling one of the sealed buckets toward him.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>As he was working the lid off of the bucket, one of the penguins aggressively pecked at another, sending three penguins off the platform with a loud splash. The man's head snapped to the sound.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Elvis,” Dean caught the man saying, and his voice was just as gravely as Dean could have hoped. The penguin in question, larger and taller than the others, continued pushing forward. “Calm yourself. You’ll be fed last, for that.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dean snorted in amusement, and the chat went crazy with laughing emojis.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>With the bucket open at his side and Elvis finally behaving, he reached a gloved hand inside, checked the clipboard, and turned to the penguin in front of him. “It appears that you’re first, Pickles.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He held out the fish to one of the penguins, fisting it tightly as another penguin tried to peck at it, and only released it into Pickle's mouth when he was sure the penguin would swallow. He repeated the action a few times for each penguin, ensuring they got to eat their fill.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The penguins pecked at the fish in his hands and had their beaks pushed away for their troubles. Some wouldn’t take no for an answer, and moved closer, jostling some of the smaller ones. “Be nice, Nacho.” The man reprimanded in his low voice. “I’ll get to you in a moment.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The zoologist continued the feeding, calling out to them by name, referencing the clipboard and making ticks as he gave them their meals. When the group surrounding him had eaten, he got up and moved to another location, allowing himself to be surrounded by the smaller penguins. He repeated the process again, feeding them smaller fish, and sometimes even picked the penguins up to shift them around when he needed to get to the others.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He talked to them in his gravelly voice, asking for patience, and berating them if they pecked at his hand a little too aggressively. It took fifteen minutes for all of the buckets to empty, and then he hoisted himself to his feet. Already fed, most of the penguins lost interest and went back to their day, with only a few dutifully following after him in the hopes of more food.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Mercifully, he turned towards the camera, but the KC Zoo baseball cap hid his face from view. The man put the empty buckets on an outcropping of rock and pulled some tubes out of his deep pockets. He walked to the lip of a platform and knelt at the edge, leaning over to collect water samples. Distracted by the unobstructed view of his ass, Dean didn’t notice the large penguin waddling up to the man until it was upon him. In one fell swoop, the penguin snatched the cap off his head, revealing unruly brown locks.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He startled, barely managing to keep himself from tumbling into the water. After a moment, he turned to glare at the guilty penguin. “That was very rude, Zeus.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Taking his time to finish collecting his sample and capping it, he finally followed after the retreating penguin. Even with his features pinched in irritation, his face was a sight to behold. A strong brow framed ocean blue eyes, hooded and sultry in his annoyance. His nose was straight, leading to a pair of full pink lips. No wonder so many people flocked to watch the penguins get fed.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He snatched his hat back and slid it back on, obscuring his face again and giving the penguin an affectionate pat on its head. He let out a breath as the hat was returned to his head and his face was once again covered. Blinking, he pulled away from where he was crouched over his laptop and frowned at his behavior. The chat was a flurry of praise for Zeus, loudly pronouncing that he was doing the lord's work. It seemed that everyone was just as enamored by the young zoologist as Dean was.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The whole feeding time lasted twenty minutes, and Dean was left wanting more. Immediately, he set an alarm for 3 pm the next day so he wouldn’t miss it.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Three weeks later, he was still watching the penguins daily. He’s learned that Zeus and Elvis were the resident troublemakers, always pecking at the zoologist and causing trouble. He learned that the man’s name was Castiel, though he had no idea how the chat knew that when it was nowhere on the Kansas City Zoo’s website. Not that he spent </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>much time looking, mind you. He learned that if it was quiet enough, he could hear Castiel humming while he took water samples. But the most important thing he learned was that Sam and his daughter had season passes to the zoo.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It was surprisingly easy to convince his brother to let him take Mary. Sam had been wanting to take Jessica on a date for weeks, but their usual babysitter was in her final semester of college and couldn’t watch Mary. They were too picky for their own good, making it difficult to find a replacement they trusted with their child. When Dean called one morning and offered to take Mary for the day, they agreed immediately, no questions asked. Sam even went as far as suggesting the zoo and offering to pay for Dean to get in since it was Mary’s favorite place to spend the day.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>So a few days later, Dean had nine-year-old Mary in the car and they were driving the hour to the Kansas City Zoo. The entire drive, he couldn’t help but think about Castiel, hoping that they would somehow run into each other. Even if they didn’t, he was still excited to finally see all of the exhibits in person and share his new knowledge.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>What he failed to consider, was the fact that Mary was still </span>
  <em>
    <span>obsessed </span>
  </em>
  <span>with meerkats.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, Mary.” He tugged at her hand. “We’ve been here for an hour. Don’t you want to see the other animals?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She dug her shoes into the concrete and grunted from the effort. “No! I want to watch the meerkats. Look, see that one?” She pointed to one napping against a tree. “I want to be here when it wakes up.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He groaned. That could take all day, and if he wanted to make it to the penguin presentation in thirty minutes, he needed to get them going. Who knew how fast those seats would fill up? People </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved</span>
  </em>
  <span> penguins and he would hate sitting in the back. “Kiddo, it might be napping for a while. Don’t you want to see the penguins?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Mary shook her head stubbornly. “But the penguins don’t do much.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dean bit back his snappy reply and glared at the napping meerkat, who really </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> doing nothing. “Well, I’m getting hungry. Do you want some frozen lemonade? Maybe some cotton candy?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her expression turned from annoyance to a guilty sort of hope. “Daddy doesn’t let me have cotton candy. He says it’s pure sugar.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He smirked at her and ruffled her hair. Jackpot. “Well, kiddo, what your daddy doesn’t know won't hurt him! Come on, we’ll grab some snacks, head to the penguin show, and then if you still want, we can come back and see if sleepy over there is still doing his thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She glanced back to the sleeping meerkat and all of his friends, silently considering the options. Thankfully, the temptation of spun sugar won out. “Ok, but I want to come back and see them again. Promise?” Mary held out her pinky finger expectantly.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He linked pinkies with her and smiled. “Awesome. Pink or blue?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Blue.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Excellent choice. Let’s go.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A few minutes later, they had their snacks in hand and were heading over to the other side of the zoo.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Will they let me pet the penguins?” she asked, blue dye staining her tongue and lips. Sam was going to kill him.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think so, kiddo.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Then why are we going?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He hid his smile at her question. “Because penguins are awesome. Did you know penguins mate for life?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Cool.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Dean wasn’t sure if that was sarcasm or not. “It </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>cool.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“It means the penguins are in love, right? Well, what if they want to break up?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh…”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“One time in class, a boy pulled my friend's hair and her mom said that it was because he liked her. Do penguins do that? Daddy told me that if a boy pulls my hair I need to tell him because it's </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> ok.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>And just like that, she was off on a tangent about a boy in her school who she swore had a crush on her friend. Thankfully, she went on to explain they both thought he was pretty yucky. She kept it up the entire fifteen-minute walk to the penguin exhibit, and even after they took their seats in the front row. Nervous anticipation was building within him. From the chat, he gleaned that Castiel was usually the one who gave the presentation. In fact, that was how they learned his name in the first place.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A plan was already forming in his head. He pulled out his phone, noting that he had just a few minutes to showtime, and googled arctic themed pickup lines and jokes. He even whispered a few to Mary to gauge her reaction.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He was interrupted a few moments later by the click of an intercom and a cleared throat. Dean’s eyes snapped up and just in front of the glass was Castiel. The livestream hadn’t done him any justice. From the camera’s angle of above the exhibit, Dean had imagined the man to be around five-ten, but from this vantage point, he could tell the man was at least his height. In person, his eyes were even clearer, the kind of stormy blue you would see in the deep ocean. Every detail of his face was gorgeous, from his sun-kissed skin, to the barely noticeable smile lines around his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Helzberg Penguin Plaza. My name is Castiel and I’ll be telling you a little bit about our wonderful penguins here today.” There was polite applause, and Dean clapped along with them. “The Kansas City Zoo is home to a few species of penguins, and in this exhibit, you will find king penguins, gentoo penguins, and macaroni penguins.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Mary giggled at the name and elbowed Dean in the side. “He said macaroni penguins.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Dean elbowed her back playfully, forcing even more giggles out of the squirmy kid. With a smile, he tuned back in to Castiel giving them information on the three species and how the audience could tell them apart.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He did his research long ago and knew most of the information Castiel was giving them. He knew their habitats, how big they got, what they ate, and all sorts of other facts about all three types. Dean even knew they had a humboldt penguin exhibit where the other animals of Africa were. Hell, he even recognized a few of them and could name them if asked. The whole spiel was clearly scripted but recited enough that the jokes sounded natural and the facts were clear. He sat and let Cas’s words fill his brain.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“King penguins are the second-largest penguin species, beat only by the emperor penguin. Zeus is our largest male, and if you look on the platform behind me, you can see him standing a couple of inches taller than the rest.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Dean recognized Zeus, alright. If there was a penguin he wanted to give a high five too, it was that troublemaker.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Cas was already changing subjects. “A few of our macaroni penguins, like Frodo and Puck, for example, are very good at jumping. Often you can find them scaling the rocks around their enclosure…”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He went on spouting facts for a few more minutes before Dean heard the words he had been waiting for. “I will be available for any questions, please stay if you have any. Enjoy the rest of your visit to the Kansas City Zoo.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Before he knew it, the intercom clicked off and Castiel was removing the headset. Most people got up and left, but there was a small group of children and their parents surrounding the man and peppering him with questions.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Eyes still on Cas, he leaned to Mary. “Let’s go ask him a question.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She pouted. “You said we can go back to the meerkats.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“We will,” he insisted, “but we should ask him a question first.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have a question, though!”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure you can think of something.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She folded her arms stubbornly. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>You</span>
  </em>
  <span> come up with something.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine. Uh, ask him how he knows all of their names. There’s like sixty of them!”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do I have to do it? Do you like him?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He narrowed his eyes at her. “No. Doing </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>want to know how he knows all their names?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Her smile rivaled the grinch. “You think he’s cute, don’t you? Is that why you were talking about penguin mating? Do you want to </span>
  <em>
    <span>penguin date </span>
  </em>
  <span>him?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Can it, kiddo.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She shrugged, a little too innocently. “Fine, let's go. I’ll ask him your stupid question, and then we can go back to the meerkats.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re a brat, you know that?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She just smiled and got up, joining the loosely formed line. Because of how long they waited to approach him, they were the only ones left by the time it was their turn. He turned to them with his full attention. Castiel’s eyes first went to Dean, holding eye contact a little longer than polite, before flitting to Mary. “Did you have any questions for me?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded. “Hi, Castiel! My uncle wanted me to ask you how you knew all of the penguins names, but that’s only because he thinks you’re cute.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Dean’s face flushed a deep red from the tips of his ears down his neck</span>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
  <span> She was in so much trouble. “Uh…”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Cas’s eyes widened fractionally, and he looked back at Dean with a deer-in-the-headlights expression. “Oh, well…” he cleared his throat, and while his expression smoothed out, his eyes shined with amusement. “If you look closely at the penguins, all of them have armbands displaying their names. Although, if you work here long enough you begin to recognize them.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Curiosity piqued, Mary let out a surprised ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh’</span>
  </em>
  <span> and wandered over to push her face against the glass so she could get a better look at the penguins, leaving both men alone.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Relieved that the man hadn’t immediately shut him down, he relaxed a fraction. With a smirk, he turned to the penguin keeper and leaned in. “I’ve got a question for ya: How much does a polar bear weigh?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel squinted. “The average male polar bear weighs between eight hundred and twelve hundred pounds, dwarfing the average female at four hundred to six hundred pounds.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Dean stared at him, his smile slipping. “So, enough to break the ice?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Castiel frowned in return. “Well, the ice cap is six to nine feet and able to hold up to four thousand pounds. Some areas are even thicker. It would take a handful of polar bears all focusing their weight on one point to be able to break through that much ice. But, yes. I suppose if those conditions were met, the weight of a polar bear could break the ice cap.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They stared at each other. Dean too dumbfounded to continue, and Castiel probably waiting for any follow-up questions. Surely this man could recognize a pickup line. Right? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Right</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Shit.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Mercifully, Castiel’s lips quirked up in a grin and his eyes shined with amusement.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Dean huffed out a breath and ran his hand through his hair, grinning sheepishly up at Cas. “So, Castiel... you probably get that one a lot, huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, call me Cas. And yes, more than you could imagine.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A nickname was a good sign. A </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> good one. “Well, I have more jokes where that came from.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Cas shrugged. “Try me.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s a penguin’s favorite relative?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Aunt Arctica,” he answered, eyebrow cocked. The unspoken ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Is that the best you can do?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> was clear in his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Dean gulped, equal parts intimidated and turned on. He looked like he ate men like Dean for breakfast. “What do penguins like to eat?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Brrrrrrrritos,” Mary yelled from her place at the glass. She giggled at herself and Dean wanted to curse.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, kid. Give me a break.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Cas turned to Mary and crouched in front of her. "What do you call a happy penguin?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She smiled eagerly. “I don’t know.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He leaned in conspiratorially. “A pen-grin!”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It took her a moment, but once the pun kicked in, she laughed uncontrollably.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Cas stood to his full height, looking pleased with himself. “I promise you, I’ve heard them all.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah? How about this one: What's black and white and red all over?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Cas squinted at him and Dean knew he got him. “Do I want to know?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“A penguin on a rampage.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cas’s face went from confusion to surprise and finally settled on a sort of amused shock. “Well, I can honestly say I’ve not heard that one before. I’m assuming it’s because most people have a little more tact.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled sheepishly. “Whoops.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t mean it’s not welcome.” Castiel took a step towards him. “I don’t believe you told me your name?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Dean, and the loudmouth is Mary.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, Dean. Do you have any more questions for me? About </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. What are you doing this Saturday?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I could fill that time. Have you ever been to The Roadhouse? Best burgers in Kansas, besides my own.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s hope that’s true. I have high standards when burgers are concerned.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A man after his heart. “Awesome.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mary interrupted with a tug on his shirt. “Dean, can we go see the meerkats again? You promised.” </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Shit, he had. “You’re right, kiddo.” He turned back to the man and held out his phone, contacts open. “So Cas, can I have your phone number?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He took the phone and started typing in his contact information. “Text me after I get off at four.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They said a quick goodbye, and Dean dragged his niece away before Cas could change his mind, or Mary took it upon herself to embarrass him again.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>When they were out of the Penguin Plaza, Mary turned to him with a grin. “You’re welcome.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He elbowed her gently. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Thanks for embarrassing me. All ya had to do was ask him the question, was that so hard?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Daddy always says you have to be direct.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well I say you gotta play to your strengths.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“And what is your strength, Uncle Dean?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Flirting.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>She snorted. “Sure it is.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“And your strength is being a brat.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You love me,” she sing-songed.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure do, kiddo. Don’t forget it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think if all the polar bears were stacked on top of each other, that they would break the ice?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed and ruffled her hair as they made their way back to the meerkats.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>There's actually a KC Zoo penguin live stream on YouTube, but the chat is far from exciting. Feeding times are 10 am and 3 pm Kansas time! Head over and watch for yourself. Other than the fact that the live stream exists, I made everything else up!</p><p>Drop a comment and let me know what you think!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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